What to render the file to?

[MTD]

So I have the first half of my video completed. I want to render it now, but I don't know if I should render it to .avi or to MPEG2...and do I shrink it down at this stage? I'm using Vegas by the way and the amount I'm trying to render is 1 hour and 41 minutes. The rest I haven't completed will go for another bit to total just over 3 hours (both halves that is).

So... .avi or MPEG, and when do I shrink the file down?

[ZippyP.]

So... .avi or MPEG, and when do I shrink the file down?

You need to decide what your final product will be. Is it for playing on a computer only? Sending over the internet? Playing on a DVD player? There are many types that you can choose so if you state your requirements then some suggestions will be forthcoming.

[MTD]

It's to be burned onto DVD. It's recorded in DV-AVI, and split into two sections for two discs.

[ZippyP.]

For DVD you want mpeg2, sized to fit 3 hours on a disk.

[MTD]

Okay, well, the one disc is about an hour and 41 mins and the other is an hour and 31 mins. Someone mentioned something about changing the bitrate when rendering, but I don't see any options in Vegas to do so...

[MTD]

Nevermind, I found the options, but I don't know what to set the bitrate to.

So for a DVD disc, what would you set the bitrate to for 1h 41 mins of DV-AVI quality footage and 1h 31 mins for the second disc?

Oh, and I'm making a menu for it. When I add video in the background, should the file be a lower bitrate MPEG? And how much room would it take? If it's too much I'll stick with a picture.

[MTD]

*bump*

[Abond]

Use bitrate calculator

[MTD]

I haven't done this before, so I need the idiot explanation guide. I'd render the file to MPEG2 and then use software to encode the file (to a lower bitrate, determined by using a bitrate calculator). Right...?

[ZippyP.]

I'd render the file to MPEG2...

You create your mpeg2 at the correct size the first time, in this case using Vegas. Look in the tools section (over there <<<<) for a bitrate calculator so that you get the correct size file for the amount of time you wish to get on a disk.

[MTD]

Ok, I know how to use the bitrate calculator, I just don't know where to enter this information in Vegas. I've attached two of the areas (in a picture) I think where the information goes, but I'm not sure where...

[MTD]

I don't think my attachment worked so: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y157/smashguy37/vegasrender.jpg

[pijetro]

Not a big user of Mainconcept encoder, but everything seems to be okay..
Except of course, the audio. Is your source at 44100hz?? It should be 48000hz, unless of course, Mainconcept has upsampling within its own audio encoder..
Whenever i output an .AVI or just the .WAV, i always spit it out at 48000hz. This way, there's no synch issues..

You should be good to go..
What authouring program are u using??

[MTD]

I don't know why the audio is set to that, it just automatically was. Where does the bitrate get entered though (so it gets small enough to fit on a single disc). To burn I'll probably use DVD Architect or Ulead...

[Baldrick]

under the system bit rate. deselect auto-calculate.

[MTD]

The calculator gave me 5766 and whenever I enter it in, it changes it 5600. Does this matter? There is also a slider to change video quality. It's automatically on 15, which is the middle, but can go up to 31. Should I put it full? Or is it not worth it?

[trock]

Put it on 31 (15 is rough draft quality). Also, selecting two-pass increases quality but also increases render time.

[MTD]

Alright, I'm doing sample renders. I read two-pass it hardly worth it, but I'll try and see how it looks. Also, I get a black rectangle (like a bottom letterbox) on the finished render...this normal?

And what about the bitrate changing itself to 5600?

[MTD]

*bump*

[pijetro]

I don't wanna sound rude MTD, but perhaps we should stick with the topic. Every second reply leads to a different topic, and i don't know if you've even got the previous one resolved?
We also need to know more information on your process..What settings, what filetypes, what software, what source, what destination??

All of a sudden, you've got black bars on the bottom and ask us if it's normal? What's this got to do with your compression question??

FYI, rendering refers to recalculating footage when you've introduced transitions, effects, filters, etc....
Encoding is the term used when you actually convert the .AVI to .MPG (or whatever other compression you want).

Good luck!!!

[MTD]

I'm trying to be as clear as possible. I've mentioned what software I'm using, how I'm doing my video, where it's broken up, etc...it should all be in this thread, but maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway, I figure it's better to use this thread...otherwise I'd have like 10 topics with one reply, and on some board, it tends to piss people off. And yes, ok, encoding...

So I'll recap this...

I have a video I've done that is about 192 mins long. It is broken up into two timelines in Sony Vegas 6 at the 1h 41m mark. All the footage was recorded in DV AVI format, and both halves of the video equal about 45 gigs in total. I'm recording to a regular DVD-R disc (in this case, two discs, two halves of the video, one half for each).

As you know, these hold only 4.7 gigs, so what I've been trying to figure out was 'okay, each half of the video has to be shrunken down (by the bit rate) as an MPEG2 so it'll each half will fit it's own disc)

So my newest problems are:

I've used bit rate calculator for the first half of the video. It gave me 5766 kpbs (or something) and when I enter that information into Vegas, and say ok, then come back to the option, it has changed itself from 5766 to 5600.

And the second one is, I was taking small samples of the video to do quick MPEG2 encodings and for some reason it does...trying to think of how to explaint his...you know letterbox, or whatever, with the two black bars on the top and bottom? Well this makes it have a bottom black bar, but not a top. But I don't want any bars.

I don't know what is causing it and there is an option that says "do not letterbox" which I've selected, but it doesn't change anything.

Okay...so hopefully that is more thorough. Sorry guys, just been trying to get this video finished since mid-July!

[pijetro]

I've used bit rate calculator for the first half of the video. It gave me 5766 kpbs (or something) and when I enter that information into Vegas, and say ok, then come back to the option, it has changed itself from 5766 to 5600.

I think Baldrick answered this..

Well this makes it have a bottom black bar, but not a top. But I don't want any bars.

Save this sample clip as an .AVI rather than Mpeg, and load the .AVI into VirtualDub..
Tell us if you still see it.
Tell us the resolution of the video.

[MTD]

No, he didn't answer that question. He told me where to put the bit rate. I then asked why the bit rate changed itself from the 1766 I entered to 1600 (or whatever) when I go back to the option after I close the window. The auto calculator is [b]off[\b] so it shouldn't be changing itself around.

I did a render of the whole first half a while ago in DV AVI format for the hell of it. This produces a full screen video like I want, not this half letterbox effect the MPEG2 format is causing.

[pijetro]

Well, then we can safely assume that the AVI is correct, and it's your encoding that's causing the problem...

Is there any other screenshots that you have for the encoding process, along with settings and/or steps?

[MTD]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y157/smashguy37/vegasrender2.jpg

If there is anything else you think is worth seeing, let me know. Thought I'd also mention when I try to change the system bit rate now, instead of changing to 1600 or whatever, it just goes back to the original large number when I click out of the box.

[pijetro]

Is this captured and digitized video??
What does the screenshot in Vdub suggest when you load the .AVI?
Within Vdub, go to File>File Information, and tell us the results..


As of now, the only thing i can assume is that the .AVI video isn't the correct aspect ratio, and that the box within Mainconcept encoder (stretch video to ouptut frame size) is the culprit...

[MTD]

I don't have Virtual Dub, so I will get back to you on that after work. I'm not sure what you mean, but this video was captured via Firewire from a camcorder to Vegas 6 in DV AVI format.

[MTD]

Okay it says:

FPS: 720x29.970
Length: 182939 (1:41:44.06)
Decompressor: Internal DV decoder
Number of key frames: 182939
Min/avg/max/total key frame size: 120000/120000/120000 (21438165K)
Min/avg/max/total detail frame size: (no delta frames)
Data Rate: 28771 kbps (0.02% overhead)

[MTD]

*bump*

[pijetro]

FPS: 720x29.970

I think you have a typo...

Can you do a screenshot of your letterboxing problem from within Vdub??